Vermont Yankee Tritium Level Down Slightly

The Vermont Health Department says a groundwater monitoring well at Vermont Yankee has produced a tritium reading of 2.38 million picocuries per liter of water, down slightly from a reading of 2.45 million taken Saturday.

State officials say the monitoring wells dug since a tritium leak was first reported Jan. 7 have focused on the section of Vermont Yankee's property between the reactor and the Connecticut River.

The Health Department said Monday that it's a large area that encompasses many potential sources of water containing tritium.

The National Academy of Sciences reported in 2005 that exposure to tritium elevates the risk of cancer although the risk is low if the exposures are small.